Car.



A. G. MCGREGOR.

CAR.

APPLICATmN FILED Aus.|o.1914.

l 14.6%1. Patented June 22, 1915.

4 SHEETS-SHEET l.

F/il.

THE NoRRls PETERS Co.. F'HC'TOJJTHUU WASHINGTON, D. C.

A. G. IVICGREGOR.

CAR.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. I0. 1914.

Patented June 22, 1915.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

THE NORRIS PETERS C0., PHOTD-LITHO.. WASHINCTDN. D, C.

A. G. IVICGREGOH.

CAR.

APPLICATION men Aue` lo. 1914;

Lm w Patented June 22, 1915.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3- THEfNoRRlS PE1meS C0., PHOTC-LITHOA, WASHINGTUN. n. C.

A. G. IVICGREGOR.

CAR.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. I0. |914.

Patented June 22, 1915.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

...WMI y THE NORRIS PETERS CD., PHOTO-LITHO.. WASHINGTUN, D. C.

sns .amv raton.

ALEXANDER G'. MCGREGOR, 0F GLOBE, ARIZONA.

CAR.

Specification of Letters'Patent. Patented Juri@ 22, 11915.

Application filed August *10, 1914. Serial No. 856,082.

in Cars, of which the following is a speci-v fication, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to apparatus employed in metallurgical plants for the purpose of handling concentrates between the concentrator and the smelter, and more particularly to the cars in which said concentrates are transported and to certain parts of the apparatus cooperating therewith. Such concentrates are often very fine and wet and are more or less sticky, having an angle of repose which is frequently virtually 90". 1t is thereforeinexpedient, if not practically impossible, to discharge or unload these concentrates from cars by means of chutes or the like of ordinary form, or even to dump the vsame from hopper bottomed cars of the usual type. As a result the usual practice for handling these concentrates consists in transporting them in open top, steel body cars having fiat bottoms, or in ordinary box cars, which are emptied by shoveling out by hand, thereby involving a considerable amount of manual labor which it is the primary objectA of the present invention to avoid.

This and other objects of the invention, together with means whereby the same may be carried into effect, will best be understood from thevfollowing description of one form or embodiment thereof illustrated in the accompanying drawings. It will be understood, however, that the particular construction described and shown has been chosen for illustrative purposes merely, and that the invention may be otherwise embodied and practised without departing from the spirit and scope thereof as dened by the claims hereunto appended.

.[n said drawings: Figure 1 is a'transverse section through the structure in which the concentrate cars are unloaded, showing one of said cars in end elevation. Fig. 2'is a side elevation of the car, partly broken away. Fig. 3 is a detail longitudinal ysection, on an enlarged scale, of portions of.

opposite ends of the car. Fig. 4. is a detail `another to form shiplap joints.

perspective View of one of the slats constituting the car bottom. Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of the sliding end gate which cooperates with the bottom slats.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged transverse section on the line 6 6, Fig. 2. Fig. 7 is a section on the line 7 7, Fig. 3. Fig. 8 is a detail plan view broken away centrally of another form of bottom slat. Fig. 9 is a section on the line 9 9, Fig. 8.

The car constituting the main feature of the present invention comprises a frame supported by bolsters 11 upon trucks 12 of any usual or well known form, and a body, supported by said vframe and having an open top or, if preferred, a closed top having suitable openings for receiving the concentrates, and a bottom from which the concentrates may be readily discharged, as

vwill presently be explained. As herein shown the car frame comprises longitudinal side members or channel bars 13 connected by end members or channel bars 11, and intermediate longitudinal girders 15 connected with each other by one or more transverse beams or girders 16 and with the side members 13 by one or more beams or girders 17. Supported by the girders 15 and l16 are guide plates or aprons 46 and 17 for directing the flow of material discharged from the bottom of the car body as hereinafter explained.

The body of the car comprises upper vertical side walls 18 spaced from the car frame and supported therefrom by means of vertical uprights 19 and inclined braces 20, end walls 21 and 22, respectively, and a lower, hopper shaped portion comprising inclined, downwardly converging plates or walls 28 secured at their upper edges to the side walls 18, at their ends to the walls 21 and 22, and at their lower edges (as shown most clearly in Fig. 6) to upper extensions 21 of the webs of the girders 15.

The bottom of the hopper portion of the car body is composed 0f a series of slats 25 arranged transversely of the car and having rabbeted edges fitting and overlapping one The series of slats 25 extends continuously from the end 22, to which is secured a rabbeted cross piece 27 (see Fig. 3) which lits the rabbeted edge of the endmost plank and makes a tight joint therewith, to a point a short distance from the end wall 21. The slats 25 are independently supported at their ends and are guided for movement longitudinally of the car in guideways composed of angle bars 28 secured tothe girders 15 and combined filler and guide plates 29 interposed between the hopper walls 23 and web eXtensions 2st. The slats 25 are preferably formed with sockets or recesses 30 adapted for en gagement by a hoe or other tool for the purpose of moving said slats in theirguideways At the end ofthe series of slats adjacent the end wall 21 there is provided a sliding gate 31 supported and guided upon the angle bars 28 and having a -rabbeted inner edge 32 which engages and iits the rabbeted edge 26 of the endmost slat 25. The gate 31 when in normal position (as shown in Figs. 2 and 3) lills the space between the endmost slat 25 and the wall 21 and, by pressure against said slat, serves to hold all of the slats of the series in'their normal stationary position in their guides to forni a continuous bottom. Forthe purpose of making a tightvjoint between the gate 31 and end wall 21 there is preferably provided a bar 33 secured by hinged bolts 34 to the car frame. The gate 31 is provided with an outwardly extending screw threadedstem or shank 35 bolted or otherwise rigidly secured thereto. Said threaded stem 35 coperates with the internally threaded opening in a sleeve 36 to whichis keyed a hand wheel 43. The sleeve 36 is journaled in bearings 37 bolted to cross bars 38 and 39 suitably support-ed at their ends, as by brackets 40 and 411, from the car frame. The sleeve 36 is held against longitudinal movement in the bearings 37 by shoulders formed on said sleeve which engage the opposite faces of said bearings. The hub of the hand wheel 37 is formed with ratchet teeth 42 with which cooperates a pawl 45 pivoted to the cross bar 39, said pawl normally locking said hand wheel against rotation 'and consequently serving to maintain the gate 31 in its normal position as shown in Fig-3. By raising the pawl 45 the hand wheel 43 may be turned, thereby rotating the sleeve 36 which, being held against longitudinal movement in its bear` ings 37, causes the threaded stem 35 to be` i by frames r9 having upwardly directed eX- Y tensions or hoods 50 provided at their upper ends with horizontally disposed .openings normallyclosed bycovers or doors 51. By

reason of the upwardly turned arrangement n of theV hoods 50 and the horizontal disposi.-

` car toward the left.

indicated in Fi et. Preferubl i however i 7 3 and as indicated at 250 in Figs. 8 and 0, said slats are of a suitable construction to constitute a filter which will allow any 'water in Athe concentrates to be drained therefrom while standing in the car. As shown in said figures each slat 250 comprises a preferably iron .frame 251 having opposite rabbeted edges 260 corresponding to the rabbeted edges 26 of the form of slat shown in Fi Ll-. The inner edges of the side and end inembers of the frame 250 are preferably rubbeted at both sides to receive the edges of thin metallic plates 252 formed with perfor-ations 253 and secured together and to the frame 250 by means of bolts 251-. lietween the plates 252 and within the frame 251 is confined a quantity of a suitable liltering material 255, such as burlap, matting or the like.

It will be seen that, with a car bottom composed of filtering slats such as those just described, any moisture in the concentrates standing in the car may be permitted to drain olf without, however, permitting the escape of the concentrates themselves.

The slats 250 may be of any suitable width. Preferably, however, said slats will be of a somewhat greater width than the width of the solid slats when the latter are used in order to alford a maximum liltering area in proportion to the width of the slats.

The operation of unloading the ear when filled with concentrates is as follows. rThe pawl 45 is released from the ratchet teeth 12 and the hand wheel L13 turned to draw back or open the gate 31, as above explained, thereby leaving an opening in the car bottom between the endinost slat 25 or 250 and the end wall 21 through which the concentrates previously supported by the gate 31 may fall. In oider to assist in discharging this portion of the load the doors 51 may be opened and suitable implements inserted through the poke holes 1S to dislodge the material at this end of the car. When this portion of the car has been suiliciently unloaded meii with hoes may enter and draw down the concentrates through the opening on an angle a little flatter than the natural angle of repose. As the slats are uncovered one by one they are moved in their guides 28, 29, toward the right or gate end of the car to take the place of the opening made by iifithdrawing the gate 31, causing said opening to travel progressively the length of the In this way the concentrates may be hoed down on substantially their natural angle throughout the car and discharged therefrom progressively from,

one end to the` other thereof.` When the car has been completely unloaded the slats, together with their supporting angle irons 28, will be carefully swept off. from theleft end of the car and successively returned to their initial position untilthe right end of the car is reached, whereupon the gate 31 will be closed and locked by the pawl 45, thereby tightly forcing the slats together, holding them in their normal position, and com pletely closing the bottom of the car ready to receive another load.

rlhe material discharged from the car as above described may, if desired, be received directly in a suitable bin located beneath the car. Preferably, however, said concentrates will be received upon a conveyer belt or the like and transported thereby to the usual bedding bin where they are properly mixed with the other materials to make up a furnace charge.

l, wherein 52 denotes the rails or track upon which the car runs, said `rails being carried by stringers 53 supported by columns 54 above a receiving pit 55 in which is located a belt conveyer 56. 57 denotes a floor above the receiving pit 55l and having an opening 58 between the rails 52 and beneath which are arranged downwardly converging guide members 59 for directing the material discharged from the car upon the conveyer belt 56. The conveyer 56 is arranged longitudinally of the track and the opening 58 is of a length at least equal to the length of the car, so that as said car is progressively unloaded from end to end, as above explained, the material discharged therefrom will all be suitably received upon the conveyer 56 and transported thereby to the desired point.

While I have herein described my improved car with particular reference to its use for the purpose of transporting and handling concentrates, it will be obvious that said car is by no means limited to such use, but that it might be employed to substantially equal advantage in connection with other materials such, for example, as line coal, sand, etc.

Having thus described my invention, l claim:

l. A car having a bottom composed of a series of slats independently supported and guided for movement in a direction transverse to their length, and a gate for completing the series and adapted when closed to hold said slats in normal position to form a continuous bottom.

2. A cai-'having a bottom composed of a series of slats independently supported and guided for movement in a direction transverse to their length, and agate at the end of the series for completing the same and A suitable arrangement of apparatus for this purpose 1s shown 1n Fig.

adapted when closed to hold said slats in normal position to form a continuous bottom.

3. A car having a bottom composed of a series of slats independently supported and guided for movement in a direction transverse to their length, and a sliding gate at the end of the series for completing the same and movable longitudinally thereof, said gate when closed holding said slats in a predetermined position longitudinally of the series to form a continuous bottom.

4. A car having a bottom composed of a series of sla-ts independently supported and guided for movement in a direction transverse to their length, a sliding gate at the end of the series for completing the same and movable longitudinally thereof, said gate when closed holding said slats in a 'predetermined position longitudinally of the series to form a continuous bottom, and means to lock said gate in closed position.

5. A car having a bottom composed of a series of slats independently supported and guided for movement in a direction longitudinally of said series and a gate for completing the `series and adapted when closed to hold said slats in normal position to form a continuous botto-m.

6. A car having a bottom composed of a series of slats independently supported and guided for movement in a direction transverse tol their length and a sliding gate at the end of the series for completing the same and movable longitudinally thereof, said gate when closed holding said slats in a predetermined position longitudinally of the series to form a continuous bottom, said gate having a threaded shank, and a hand wheel coperating with said shank to operate said gate.

7. A car having a bottom composed of a series of slats independently supported and guided for movement in a direction trans -verse to their length and a sliding gate at the end of the series for completing the same and movable longitudinally thereof, said gate when closed holding said slats in a predetermined position longitudinally of the series to form a continuous bottom, said gate having a threaded shank, a hand wheel coperating with said shank for moving said gate and having a hub provided with ratchet teeth, and a pawl coperatingwith said teeth to lock said gate in closed position.

8. A car having a bottom composed of transversely extending slats arranged in a longitudinal series, means for supporting the ends of said slats and guiding the same for movement transversely of said slats and longitudinally of the series, and a gate for completing the series and adapte when closed to hold said slats in normal position to form a continuous bottom.

9. A car having a body provided with a lac bottom composed of aseries'of slats'independently`44 supported and guided for 'movement in a direction longitudinallyot thel series,V and a gate at theendof the seriesfo'r completingthesame, said body having'ank endwall adjacent said `gate provided withY one orl more poke holes.Y n A v l0. A` car' body having endwalls, al bottoni, and agate in said'bot'tom a'djacehtoneV downwardlyconverging lower side walls anda bottom composed of'aseriesgof sepa?,- rate slats, and a gate for completing the se- .rie's and adaptedv when closed to hold saidv slats'fin normal'positionto form' a: continuous bottom;-

12;*'A'car having' a body provided'with"y downwardly converging lower side walls anda bottom composed'ofja Aseriesl of slats anda gate for completingthe series and .adapted when closed to' hold lsaid slats" in Y normal position to forma continuousfbotl tom, ay trame for supporting said body having longitudinalgirders towhch said down'- wardly converging side wallsaresec'ured at their lower edges, and guides torfthe' ends of said slats and for said gate carried by saidv girders.

13. Acar havingifajbottom composed of a series of slats vhaving rabbeted edges forming shiplap joints, said slats being inde pendently "supported l atl their ends and guided fory movementg in` a direction transverse to their lengthyand gate'for conipleting the series andhaving a rabbeted edge cooperating with the rabbeted'edge of the adjacent sl'at, said gate being adapted when closedto hold said slats in normal position to'f'orm a continuous bottom.

14. car having a bottom composed of a series offiltering slats independently supportedandguided for movement in a directioni'transverse to theiry length, and a gate for completing the series and adapted when closed` to hold said slats in normal position to forma continuous filtering bottom.

l5. A car having'a bottom composed of a series ofislatsyeach of said slats comprising a frame, a pair of foraminous plates located at'oppfosit'e sides of said frame, bolts for securing said plates together and to said frame;A and'iiltering material confined between saidplates within said frame.

16.A` car having a bottom composed of a serifsjofslat each of said slats comprising a rani'e having opposite rabbeted edges forming sliipl'ap joints with the adjacent slats, foraminous plates located at opposite sides of said frame, bolts securing said plates; together and to said frame, and tiltering material coniined between said plates within said frame, said slats being independently supported at their ends and being guided for movement in a direction transveixse totheir length7 and a gate for completingthe series and having a rabbeted edge cov operating with the rabbeted edge ot the frame Aof the'adjacent slat7 said gate being adapted when closed to hold said slats in normal positionto form a continuous iiltoringibottomlV` y In'` testimony whereof I afiix my signature,lin presence of two witnesses.

ALEXANDER G. MCGREGOR. l/Vitnesse's; l

L. Mossen, Y C. W.' CRoMwnLL. 

